It was early February. Although spring had already arrived, the air still carried a deep, biting chill.
The fire in the charcoal brazier had long since gone out, and the room was bitterly cold. Chen Xiao huddled his shoulders and lingered for a while in the lingering warmth of the hot-water bottle before finally crawling out from under the covers. He put on his padded shirt and cotton coat.
The copper kettle was wrapped in an insulated quilted cover. It was not nearly as effective as a modern thermos, but it managed to keep the water somewhat warm, so it would not be icy cold.
After washing his face with warm water, he brushed his teeth with a pig-bristle toothbrush dipped in tooth powder. Then he deftly combed his shoulder-length hair into a topknot. That was the extent of his morning hygiene.
Once dressed, he opened the door, and a wave of cold air struck him in the face. Chen Xiao stepped outside and drew in a deep breath. Unlike the stale air of a modern city, the fresh air filled his lungs and instantly cleared his mind. He stretched his limbs and gave a long, luxurious yawn.
He had been in this world for half a year. At first, he had been cautious to the point of paranoia, afraid that the locals would discover he was different and burn him to death. By now, however, he had adapted to life here and no longer stood out from the natives in any obvious way.
Chen Xiao walked from the back courtyard to the front of the shop. He breathed into his hands, rubbed his slightly chilled fingertips, and took down the shop’s wooden shutters one by one, carrying them to the back and stacking them neatly.
His current occupation was shop assistant and live-in watchman at an antique shop called “Seeking Immortals Beneath the Snow.”
During the day, he followed the shopkeeper and assistant shopkeeper around, learning the trade and selling goods. At night, after closing the shop, he slept in the rooms at the back. If anything happened, he only needed to strike the large gong placed in his room. The owner did not expect him to fight off criminals—he merely had to raise the alarm and notify the city’s night patrol so they could come deal with the matter.
Chen Xiao was the lowest-ranked shop assistant. Every morning, he not only had to prepare the shop for opening but also clean it. Of course, he was not supposed to do everything alone. There was another worker named Zhao Erhu.
Before long, Chen Xiao had finished his chores. Pedestrians began to appear in the streets, and Zhao Erhu arrived with a steaming bowl of wontons and four crisp, delicious pastries.
That breakfast was not cheap by ordinary standards. It cost a full fifteen copper coins. Zhao Erhu paid ten of them, while Chen Xiao paid the remaining five.
He had been bringing Chen Xiao breakfast like this for three or four months already.
Zhao Erhu lived far away and had to cross half the commandery city to get here. From late autumn until early spring, the mornings were dark and freezing. Zhao Erhu did not want to get up so early and make the journey in the cold, so Chen Xiao had suggested a deal: if Zhao Erhu brought him breakfast, Chen Xiao would handle all the cleaning by himself.
Zhao Erhu would rather spend the money than get up in the darkness and freeze. He agreed, but insisted that Chen Xiao pay five copper coins. After all, Chen Xiao ate far too much. An ordinary person would be satisfied with two pastries, yet he insisted on eating four!
Chen Xiao accepted the breakfast and sat down in one of the seats meant for customers. Zhao Erhu sat nearby and poured himself a cup of hot water from the kettle Chen Xiao had just heated, warming his hands around it.
Chen Xiao ate with great relish. The wontons were just the right size, fresh and savory. The pastries were golden, crisp, and fragrant, crackling loudly with every bite.
Even Zhao Erhu felt his mouth water as he watched. “Little Fool, you don’t just eat a lot in the morning. Your lunches and dinners are even more extravagant. You’re picky about what you use, and particular about what you wear, too. I’ve never seen a shop assistant like you. At this rate, when will you ever save enough money to get married?”
Chen Xiao nearly choked when he heard that.
The boy whose body he had taken over did not have a proper name. He was only known by the childhood nickname Silly Lad, and he was just seventeen years old.
The previous generation of Silly Lad’s family had fled famine. His parents had died along the way, and he had followed his uncle’s family to settle in a wealthy village.
His parents must have had good genes. Silly Lad had thick brows, almond-shaped eyes, and a naturally guileless, adorable appearance. Because he was good-looking, his aunt had not minded too much that taking him in meant feeding one extra mouth.
That changed once the boy began to grow.
A growing boy could eat enough to bankrupt his parents. His uncle’s family could no longer afford the extra mouth and had no choice but to steel themselves and send him away. Through an acquaintance, they found him a job with a traveling merchant caravan, where he could at least earn his meals. Silly Lad was only twelve at the time. He was not even as tall as a short-legged pony, yet he had to follow the caravan from place to place, working hard for his food.
Because he ate so much, he had not managed to save much money over the years. When he reached fifteen or sixteen, he learned a few martial techniques from the caravan’s martial instructor and became a guard instead.
Silly Lad truly had terrible luck. Half a year ago, while traveling along a familiar trade route, a ferocious beast suddenly charged out and attacked the caravan. He had lost his head, thinking that the few moves he had learned would be enough to deal with it. In the end, everyone else fled, while he alone charged forward.
If the incident had not taken place near the commandery seat, and if the city’s security patrol had not arrived quickly, the beast would have dragged Silly Lad away. Even so, his injuries were severe, and he hovered on the brink of death.
The caravan leader admired his bravery and rewarded him with a large sum of money, as well as enough to cover his medical expenses. Unfortunately, the caravan could not wait for him. Once they had sold their current goods and prepared merchandise for the return journey, they had to depart.
Silly Lad was too ill to travel, so the caravan entrusted him to a local household and paid them to care for him.
The caravan passed through the commandery city several times a year, so the family did not dare mistreat Silly Lad. They brought him water and medicine on schedule, at least, though they could hardly be called attentive.
The martial instructor who had taught Silly Lad had been worried that the family might kill him for his money. He had once threatened them viciously, warning them against it. As a result, the family did not dare use Silly Lad’s money to hire a renowned physician without his permission. At the same time, they were unwilling to pay for treatment themselves, so they simply let him struggle through his illness.
Silly Lad’s body had originally been strong, but repeated high fevers tormented him, and he eventually began coughing up blood. As he lingered on his sickbed, his body grew weaker and weaker.
That was how Silly Lad died, and Chen Xiao arrived in his place.
When Chen Xiao had closed his eyes in his previous life, he had thought he would never wake again. Instead, he awoke to excruciating pain throughout his body. He was burning with fever and so weak that he could not even get out of bed; lifting a hand took all his strength.
After struggling through the dizziness and headache to understand his situation, his instinct for survival made him realize that if things continued this way, this second life—he had no idea how he had obtained it—would soon come to an end as well.
While he was lucid, Chen Xiao begged the family to summon a physician from a major medical hall. He spent most of the reward money he had inherited and asked the physician to find some way to cure him.
Since the physician had been paid, he was naturally willing to put in the effort. After some twists and turns, he managed to obtain an elixir for Chen Xiao. Once Chen Xiao took it, his illness vanished almost immediately, and his condition improved greatly.
After another half month of recuperation, Chen Xiao had fully recovered. He thanked the family and left, finding an inn on the street where he could stay.
The small portion of the reward money he had left seemed substantial, but in this prosperous commandery city, it would only cover three months of good food and lodging at an inn.
Chen Xiao did not want to return to the caravan where Silly Lad had worked. For one thing, he was worried that someone would notice that the person inside had changed. For another, he had none of Silly Lad’s physical memories. Although he knew how to fight, he did not understand martial arts and could not take on such a dangerous job as a caravan guard.
So, gritting his teeth, he sought out a reputable employment broker and handed over every last coin he had. In return, the broker found him a position at the place where he now worked.
Chen Xiao was very glad he had made that decision. This place allowed him to come into indirect contact with the upper classes, giving him a rough understanding of the world in a remarkably short time.
This world was incredibly fascinating. It combined the backward living habits and ways of thinking of ancient times with all sorts of ingenious and advanced inventions from the early days of capitalism. Backwardness and progress existed side by side, creating something both wondrous and mysterious. As someone who had just arrived here and was completely at a loss, Chen Xiao found it deeply intriguing.
At first, Chen Xiao thought he had arrived in a parallel world much like ancient China, one that was in the process of transitioning from feudalism to capitalism.
However, after learning more about this country called Dai, he realized that he had been mistaken. This world had neither coal nor oil, so the steam age was impossible—and with it, any hope of entering modern society.
Although this world lacked resources such as coal and oil, it did possess a precious mineral called spirit stones. The energy contained within these spirit-stone ores could replace coal and oil as a source of power for all kinds of equipment.
Chen Xiao had personally seen a spirit-stone bead the size of a marble placed inside a stove with three burners. It burned continuously for three hours, yet consumed only a tiny fraction of the bead.
That was also the occasion when he had reacted with such astonishment that the stove’s owner, who loved to show off, told him the bead had come from a cultivator. Only then did Chen Xiao realize that this world was not centered around farming, scholarship, craftsmanship, and commerce. Instead, the mainstream pursuit was cultivation and the quest for immortality.
Unfortunately, after making some careful inquiries, Chen Xiao learned that his original body possessed no spiritual root and had no talent for cultivation whatsoever. He felt disheartened, but soon pulled himself together.
After all, getting a second chance at life by taking over this body was already a stroke of good fortune. Even if he spent the rest of his life as an ordinary person, he would not be losing out.
That was why Chen Xiao’s only goals had always been to enjoy life, save up some money, and travel the world. As for getting married—he had been a bachelor in his previous life and was used to living freely. He had no intention of burdening himself with a wife now.
Chen Xiao wiped the corner of his mouth and said, “I haven’t thought that far ahead yet. The most important thing right now is to get my health back.”
No one else knew how completely Chen Xiao had recovered. After suffering a serious illness, he had become extremely thin. Although the others felt he was spending a little too much on food, once he brought up the excuse of nourishing his body, they had nothing more to say.
Seeing that this was his reason, Zhao Erhu shook his head and said no more. They were merely ordinary coworkers, not particularly close. Since Chen Xiao would not listen to his advice, Zhao Erhu had no intention of continuing to give it.
Still, he would certainly think to himself that Silly Lad was not someone who knew how to manage money—that he spent lavishly and would never be able to save anything.
Chen Xiao gave a light chuckle. Of course he could tell that the other man did not agree, but he had no intention of explaining himself. Their values were different, and offering unsolicited advice to someone he barely knew would only create unnecessary complications. It was better to keep things cordial and distant. In any case, he had left himself a year to learn and adapt. After that year, he would leave. There was no reason to make things unpleasant.
